


Your Family Are Idiots, But I Still Love You (A Wolfstar One-Shot)

by fallofthereichenbach



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Disowned, Hogwarts, M/M, Running away from home, family troubles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallofthereichenbach/pseuds/fallofthereichenbach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius is really sad. He barely eats, and barely speaks to anyone. He's stopped showing up to class, and his friends don't see him anymore.</p><p>It's up to Remus to figure out why, and how he can help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Family Are Idiots, But I Still Love You (A Wolfstar One-Shot)

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another one shot. Apologies if you are getting sick of them! Alternatively, if you have anything you might want me to write about, send me a message or comment below!
> 
> Enjoy!! xxx

"I told you, he spent the summer at my house," James said to Remus, who quickly hushed him. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, pretending to eat breakfast. Peter was supposed to be joining them once he finally got dressed. They had no illusions about Sirius coming down too; he hadn't really eaten properly or spoken much to them since they all met on the Hogwarts Express a few days ago.

Remus was worried about Sirius. He'd seemed almost his normal self on the train - laughing, joking, generally being a bit of an idiot. But as they got closer and closer to Hogwarts, he withdrew a little from the conversation. At the feast, he focused on his food but barely seemed to eat anything, and didn't notice when the golden plates cleared themselves.

So, that morning when Sirius woke up but refused to get out of bed, Remus decided to do a little investigating.

"I didn't think you guys had plans to meet up this summer."

"We didn't. But about a week into the holiday, he showed up at my door with his trunk and everything."

"And you didn't ask him why he was there?" Remus raised his eyebrows. Typical James. However, his friend seemed offended at Remus' assumption and rolled his eyes.

"Well, come on mate, it wasn't exactly difficult to guess why he was sitting on my doorstep with all of his stuff. You know what his family's like."

Technically, none of them had ever met Sirius' family. But they had heard stories. In Sirius' words, they were "Pure-blood-loving, muggle-hating, evil, offensive bastards." As a half-blood werewolf, Remus was quite happy not to have met them.

"Okay. Did he tell you anything about what happened?"

"Yeah. Totally. On his first night we sat on my bed and watched a really sad romantic film, then I braided his hair while he confessed his innermost feelings," James somehow managed to convey a perfect show of sarcasm whilst simultaneously shoving a bread roll into his mouth.

"Don't even joke about that. Knowing Sirius and his hair habits, it's totally believable."

James snorted, and Remus tried to ignore to spray of crumbs that accompanied it.

"Nah, he just didn't talk at all. It was quite weird, actually. Padfoot usually never shuts up. But he wouldn't even talk to Mum about why he showed up. And it took him an entire two days to start properly holding conversations with anyone other than the cat."

"How does one hold a conversation with a cat?"

"Focus, Moony. And you'd be surprised at the intelligence of Mr Whiskerson."

"So you think his family were particularly bad this time, then?" Remus continued, deciding to ignore the fact that James had a cat called Mr Whiskerson.

"I guess so."

"But... Come on, this is Sirius we're talking about. He loves confrontation and any excuse for a little bit of drama. He doesn't run away from stuff; he stands and fights. And generally makes a huge scene for attention along the way."

"Maybe he got tired of it. Maybe his family were particularly bad this time."

"They must have been really, really bad..."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. James cleared the surrounding square metre area of food, as was his custom when he felt anxious. Remus just stirred a bowlful of porridge thoughtfully. Along with its contents, questions swirled around his mind. Curiosity killed the cat... But then, satisfaction did bring it back...

The bell rang, interrupting his thoughts. Morning lessons were five minutes away from beginning. There was a loud scramble and scraping of benches as students started making their way to classes.

Remus had Charms first. He bade farewell to James at the bottom of one of the many staircases he'd have to climb on his long journey to the classroom, then began the long trek. About halfway up, he heard someone shout his name behind him.

"Remus!"

Believing it to be Sirius for a second, Remus whipped right around. Instead, he was greeted by the small, dumpy, but altogether kind form of Peter Pettigrew. Together, they continued walking.

"Hey, Pete."

"Hey Remus!"

Peter looked as though he woke up and rolled out of bed not five minutes ago. His light brown hair was sticking up in patches and tufts. His robes were obviously put on hurriedly, because they had bunched in a strange way at the front. Judging from the way he was walking, his shoes were on the wrong feet too. He blinked a few times, clearing the fog of sleep from his watery eyes.

"We've got Charms, haven't we?"

"Yep... Have you seen Padfoot this morning?"

At the mention of his friend's name, Peter started nibbling his lip.

"Yeah... He wasn't yet out of bed when I left a few minutes ago. I tried to wake him up, but he just rolled over and wouldn't talk. I don't think he's going to make it to Charms on time."

"Or at all."

Peter gave an "Mm" of agreement, and the look on his face was almost as worried and tired as Remus felt. Remus decided to put on a brave face. One of them had to be chirpy this morning.

"Oh well, when have any of us been properly on time to anything?"

Peter gave a small smile, before tripping over his wrong-footed shoes completely. Helping him up and trying not to laugh too hard, Remus checked his watch. As expected, they would be a few minutes late when they finally reached Charms.

 

"Sorry we're late, Professor!"

Professor Flitwick nodded at them, then did a double-take when he realised that Sirius was still missing.

"Good heavens, where is Black? I had assumed that you'd all show up late together, as you do every lesson. Quite the little quartet, you and Potter are."

"Uh... Sirius isn't feeling well, Professor," Remus lied easily, "I don't think he'll be in lesson today."

Flitwick gave a noise that suggested he thought that was a load of old dragon dung, but he waved Remus and Peter away to get out their books.

 

About an hour later, and Sirius still hadn't shown up. Remus was trying desperately to pay attention to what Flitwick was saying (something about non-verbal spells... Ugh, why did he bother teaching them that? They would never be in a life-or-death situation like the one he was describing. It was utterly useless) but he couldn't help watching the door every five seconds, just in case.

Eventually, he couldn't stand it.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Lupin?"

"Can I use the bathroom?"

"... Is it urgent?"

"Well... Yeah."

"Fine. If you must. But hurry up."

 

Sweet, sweet freedom. Remus took the stairs two at a time, and virtually flew down the corridors. He didn't really care if he got back to lesson in time. He just wanted to see Sirius, and make sure he was okay.

He reached the Gryffindor Common Room with no idea what he was going to say when he saw his friend. Hell, Sirius might not even be in there. But Remus continued to rush in anyways.

The Common Room itself was empty. The fire crackled, the armchairs sagged invitingly and the sound of some singer blared from a Wizarding Wireless. It was homely and cosy and a nice place to be - but there was not Padfoot, so Remus didn't linger.

Instead he went up the stairs as quietly as possible, and finally reach the sixth year dormitory. He pushed open the door, and crept inside.

It was dark and cold; the curtains were drawn and the fire that usually burned merrily in the centre of the room by the washstand had been extinguished. The beds belonging to Remus, Peter and James had already been made by some helpful house elves, but the fourth bed was occupied.

Sirius sat on the edge of the bed, with his head bent and his hands clasped in his lap. Upon closer inspection, Remus could see that he was clutching a piece of parchment, though he couldn't make out the words in the gloom. Remus moved forward, but a floorboard creaked beneath his foot. Sirius turned sharply round to see him, simultaneously shoving the parchment in his pocket.

"Hey, Pads," Remus said softly, and moved further into the room. There was no point trying to be quiet now. As he passed the fireplace in the middle of the room, he whispered 'Incendio', and flames leapt from his wand. The room was lit with a warm glow, just enough to see well by. Remus continued his walk through the room until he reached Sirius' bed.

"You weren't in Charms," Remus muttered, suddenly awkward. He wanted to explain, to ask questions, to say something meaningful. But his brain didn't seem to be cooperating.

"No," Sirius said hoarsely. It was the first word Remus had heard him say since the Hogwarts Express, and fierce relief flooded through him. At least Sirius was capable of talking now, even if it was just one word.

"Why not?"

"Didn't want to go."

"Didn't want to leave this cold, empty, dark room? Of course."

"'S not cold, dark or empty any more," Sirius shrugged, gesturing to Remus and the fire.

"No," Remus said determinedly, "It's not.... Look, Sirius please. Just tell me what's going on and I can help."

"You can help?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. There was a slight hint of the old sarcasm in there.

"Not until you tell me what you need help with. Y'know, a problem shared is a problem halved and all that crap."

"I don't need help with anything. I have no problems." There was a slight break in Sirius' voice on the last word. He looked back down at his lap quickly, and looked like he was trying to shrink himself down so small that he'd cease to exist.

"Padfoot. Please."

Two words. Way more meaning inside them than should be possible. Sirius looked as though he was fighting a battle in his mind. After a few moments, the internal struggle seemed to resolve slightly, and his face grew more calm. He looked down at the floor, and began:

"My parents kicked me out."

Maybe he was expecting Remus to interrupt. Maybe he was expecting him to gasp and be shocked. Either way, when Remus just listened, a momentary jolt of warmth and gratitude for his friend flowed through Sirius.

"They kicked me out of the house, out of their lives... Told me that they didn't want to see me again... So I packed up my stuff, and went over to James' place... They burned my name off of the family tree... Remus, I can never go back."

Sirius seemed to need a rest between each phrase, as if each word was the biggest struggle of his life to say. To Remus, it felt like he was watching his best friend vomit all of the pain and anger at his family; again and again and again. When Sirius had finished speaking, his desperate brown eyes sought Remus, as a dying man would look for his last source of comfort in all the world.

Remus swallowed, and managed to croak out one measly word.

"Why?"

At this, Sirius looked back at the floor. His hands tangled up in his long brown hair, running through it until he felt able to speak. It was his coping mechanism, and it took a long time.

"... I wasn't good enough," Sirius finally confessed, in a low, hollow voice. It wasn't grief. It wasn't pain or fury. It was tiredness, longing, and helplessness, "I was never good enough. Never the perfect pureblood they wanted me to be. I was raised on silver and gold and hate and judgement, but that... that was never me. I couldn't do it. I didn't make the cut. I was Gryffindor, when I was supposed to be Slytherin. I was wrong."

"Sirius..." Remus started, but Sirius carried on.

"They all hate me, Moony," and a bitter smile with no mirth or humour behind it twisted at his lips, "All of them. Even... Even him."

"Him?"

"Regulus," Sirius whispered the word like a poison. Any trace of a smile left his face completely, "My brother. He... was always different to them. Not different like me, but kinder. Whenever Mother was particularly bad, I... would know that he at least would understand. Not stick up for me, no. But it was more than enough to get me through it. But now..."

Sirius shook his head, unable to continue. A tear tracked it's way down his cheek and plopped down his chin, and another came in fast pursuit. His shaking hands went to his pocket, and he handed Remus a piece of parchment - the same bit he had been staring at so sadly.

Remus hesitated for a minute, but then Sirius nodded, and he started to read aloud:

_"To Sirius,_

_We, the family of Black, hereby disown you. This shall mean that we have no contact with you, and you have no contact whatsoever with us. This includes Master Regulus Black, whom we know you see frequently at school. If contact is continuously pursued, the police may be notified._

_You are currently staying at the residence of one Mr and Mrs Potter. This is fine. However, you are not allowed in the Black family home, or anywhere in it's immediate vicinity. Again, the police may be notified if you choose to ignore this._

_If you wish to change your name to avoid connections with us, we shall be more than happy to be notified of this. The Black family clearly has values and connotations that you do not agree with, and since you are not technically a part of the Black family any more you would be happier with this too._

_Do not respond to this letter._

_Sincerely,_

_Walburga Black _  
_Orion Black."_ __

 

Sirius didn't make a sound or even move whilst Remus was reading, but when he finished, he looked up slowly.

"Oh, Sirius..." Was all Remus could manage. The overwhelming desire to help his friend mixed in with a terrifying hopelessness; he couldn't do anything to fix this.

Sirius nodded and numbly took the letter from Remus.

"Sirius, trust me, they don't even deserve you..." Remus started, but Sirius shook his head.

"Nah, don't start with all that soppy crap," Sirius muttered. He seemed more like his old self, but at the same time less like it. The confidence in his voice was faked, and the smile on his face was shaking, "It's fine."

"Sirius... Look, you're my best friend. You are really irritating, sometimes stupid, way too confident, arrogant and about a billion other things. But one thing I will say is that you are 101% good enough. You're Sirius freaking Black - and don't go changing your surname any time soon, please. The name Black to your family may mean rich, idiotic, evil, little dicks. But your surname Black... To me it means, well, awesome.

"So one thing that you really can't do is let the opinion of some stupid old snobs that used to be your family define you. Okay? You just gotta push your head high and march out there like you don't give a shit. Because you're Sirius Black, and you don't care what people think. After all, for the most part people think you're pretty cool. But don't let that go to your head or anything..."

Sirius blinked at Remus.

"Laying it on a bit thick there, Moony," he said, surprised. But his voice sounded stronger now, and Re us counted that as a victory in itself.

"Since when did Sirius Black refuse a compliment? ... Besides, no one's exactly perfect, are they? Look at me, I'm a fucking werewolf."

"Yeah but, to be fair, you're a pretty chill werewolf."

"Gee, thanks. 'Hey, Moony, you're actually pretty chill for a monster-that-could-totally-rip-your-face-off!'"

Sirius laughed a little, and Remus nudged him gently with an elbow.

"It's good to see you, Pads."

"Thank you, Moons."

The thank you was for much more than the compliment. It was for... everything. Remus understood this as he looked Sirius' eyes. 

Remus knew he had to be in Charms.

Remus knew that he should be making sure Sirius was completely fine.

Remus knew that making out with his crying best friend wasn't the best idea (probably).

But Remus didn't care.

 

As their mouths pressed together in a soft embrace of care and passion, their arms twined round each other's bodies, pulling themselves closer, closer, closer. Remus ran his hands through Sirius' hair, delighting in the softness. Sirius just focused on being there, on staying in the moment. He just wanted to forget everything else.

Eventually, they broke apart reluctantly. Remus' face was flushed, and his eyes saw only Sirius. But he had to check something first.

"I don't want to... Y'know. Start something just because of what's happened..." Remus said, clearing his throat awkwardly. A voice in his head screamed at him to not ruin the moment. Too late.

Then: a surprise. Sirius' hand grasped at his, and their fingers locked together.

"Moony. I think... I think we both know that's not what this is..."

"Isn't it?"

"No. It's not. I - I've wanted this... For a long time."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

That was all that needed to be said. Their hands stayed clasped together, and they stayed with each other. Funnily enough, they didn't say much after that. They didn't use their mouths for talking.

After all, Charms could wait.


End file.
